I was just listening to Strength Through Failure on WFMU, and one of the last tracks Fabio played was a recording of an advertisement for Benjamin, Wild Man of Hypnosis. Sure, it all sounded nice, what with the crazy echo effect on the vocals and eerie psych noises…but come on…hypnosis for amusement? It’s a sham, right?
I remember on my last night as a high school student, the entire graduating class was bussed to a top-secret (but fun!) location (the name of which I forget) where we were locked-in for the night, so as to prevent the countless casualties that would occur if we were left to our own devices. One of the special treats that night was a real life hypnotist who promised to shock and amaze us with his sundry talents. He was going to turn us all into chickens, unlock the secrets of our minds, and…well, he didn’t do any such thing. He made one girl violently shuffle across the “stage” acting like a fucking demon, but I’m pretty sure she was joking, because she clearly made eye contact with someone I knew and pulled him out of the crowd to “go nuts” with her. Also, two of my friends volunteered and showed no signs of being under any control. So, it’s a farce, right?
Well, not exactly. The ability of hypnotic suggestion when combined with CBT (that’s cognitive behavioral therapy, not cock and ball torture) to influence subjects in a variety of ways has been the subject of many studies. Obesity, it seems, can be treated through hypnosis. Chronic pain can be alleviated through similar suggestions. But what about Benjamin, Wild Man of Hypnosis? Was his stupid vaudevillian hypnosis act legitimate?
According to this article, the answer is a resounding: Maybe? I guess it depends more on the subject than the hypnotist. Apparently there’s a test to see how responsive we are to suggestions, and while the test ranges from zero-to-twelve (unresponsive-to-very responsive), the majority of the population scores between five and seven. Also, a person’s responsiveness does not improve or degrade over time. Whatever, fine, so hypnosis in general isn’t a sham, but what about that guy Benjamin?
A simple Google search returns exactly NOTHING. Just the audio file I heard from the WFMU blog. I guess I should have expected that. Maybe Benjamin’s act was for real, and he managed to convince the entire world through hypnosis that it was legitimate. Or, maybe he never existed, but was a hypnotic suggestion created by someone else for the sole purpose of making us wonder if hypnotic suggestion is a sham or not. My mind is so totally blown right now. I don’t even know if I can continue.
